Children in Northumberland as young as four acting as young carers
Children in Northumberland as young as four are classed as carers, a charity has said.
Carers Northumberland said there are 777 young carers aged under 18 registered with the charity.
Young carers are classed as someone aged under 18 who looks after a parent, sibling or any other family member who may have a disability, serious illness, problems with their mental health or with alcohol or drugs.
At a meeting last week, Northumberland Health and Wellbeing Board members were presented with the Northumberland Commitment to Carers Strategy.
Donna Lathaen, head of service for the county council, said: “The youngest carer Carers Northumberland have on their records is aged four. It’s right through – it’s how we can support those young carers in providing their caring role.
“We have a memorandum of understanding between children’s services, adult services and Carers Northumberland that if any of our workforce visit a property and identify a young carer, that young carer is supported in the right way.
“We’re exploring how young carers are being supported. We have a Young Carer pilot in schools working with schools and looking at how we can engage with schools to support our young carers.”
According to data collected during the last census, across the county, there are more than 31,000 residents who identified themselves as carers.
Chief executive of Carers Northumberland, Debra Blakey said: “Under-reporting is endemic. People often don’t identify themselves as carers – the number could be significantly higher.
“Nearly 10,000 people are caring for somebody more than 50 hours per week. The majority of those are over 70 years old. We have an ageing population, particularly in Northumberland.”